


Primal, but not Savage

by deathishauntedbyhumans



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: All mistakes are my own, Also I stole scenes from the movie, Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, But it's about as Nick/Judy as the movie is, Do with that information what you will, I don't own it lmao, I mean, I seriously thought this was how the movie was going to end, Inspired by Zootopia (2016), It's kinda Nick/Judy if you squint, So put on your shipper goggles idk, THOSE i own lmao, also, bellwether is a bitch lmao, is muzzle a trigger warning, unbetaed, warning: muzzles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-30
Updated: 2016-11-30
Packaged: 2018-09-03 08:42:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8705455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deathishauntedbyhumans/pseuds/deathishauntedbyhumans
Summary: Canon Divergent AU in which Nick gets shot with the Night Howler serum, and Judy is forced to deal with the aftermath.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fic I'm posting here, so bear with me, kids! 
> 
> This is honestly how I thought the movie was going to end, and so when it didn't... Well, I had to write it. Just what it says on the tin: Nick gets shot with the Night Howler serum, and Judy has to deal with it. 
> 
> ((I don't own Zootopia, nor do I own the scenes I borrowed to include in this fic. Some of the audio and images I used are included as hyperlinks in the fic.))

Walking down from the podium was a trip. Yes, there was some apprehension –no one seemed very thrilled at the outcome of the case– but Judy had just given her first _press conference_! Ha, she wanted to say to everyone who had ever doubted her. Ha ha ha! She was a cop, and what was more? She was the cop who’d just cracked one of the biggest cases Zootopia had ever seen! 

With adrenaline blinding her, she didn’t notice the way Nick was staring at her, as if seeing her for the very first time. 

“ Uh, that went so fast, I didn’t get a chance to mention you, or say anything about how we–”

“Oh, I think you said plenty.”

Stopping short, Judy took a proper look at Nick, her smile fading away. “What do you mean?”

Nick snorted, the sound ugly and and surprisingly practiced. “‘Clearly there’s a biological component’? ‘These predators may be reverting back to their primitive, savage ways’? Are you serious?”

Judy bit her lip. She’d only been repeating what they knew, what they’d _both_ heard Lionheart say. There was no reason for anyone to get up in arms about it. “ I just stated the facts of the case. I mean, it’s not like a _bunny_ could go savage.”

Nick crossed his arms, and Judy wondered if he was trying to look imposing. He really just looked… scared? Why would he be scared? 

“ Right, but a fox could? Huh?”

“Nick, stop it. You’re not like them.”

“Oh, so there’s a _them_ , now?”

Judy wanted to reach over and smack that stupid defensive expression off of his face. “ Ugh, you know what I mean. You’re not that kind of predator.”

Nick was glaring, now, and Judy was positive that she didn’t like where this was going. “ The kind that needs to be _muzzled_?! The kind that makes you think you need to carry around fox repellent?” She winced a little, absently glancing down towards that little bottle her father had forced her to take. (But he hadn’t forced her to carry it around, a little voice said in her head. She’d done that all on her own.) “ Yeah, don’t think I didn’t notice that little item the first time we met,” Nick continued, undeterred. “So, let me ask you a question: Are you afraid of me? Do you think I might… _go nuts_? Do you think I might go savage?” Judy stiffened against her will as Nick leaned towards her slightly, instincts taking over before she could try to keep them in check. “Do you think I might try to… _**eat you**_?” He made a move towards her, menacing, threatening, and Judy reacted before she could even think about it, instincts of both predator and cop betraying her as her paw settled on the spray at her side. 

Nick seemed unsurprised, though, backing off and looking defeated. “I knew it. Huh. Just when I thought someone actually believed in me, huh?” Judy opened her mouth, ready to defend herself, ready to tell him that it wasn’t _like_ that, that she didn’t think he was capable of–

But the words died on her tongue as Nick crumpled the application she’d –they both had– been so excited about. “Probably best if you don’t have a _predator_ as a _partner_ ,” he bit out, shoving the paper and her pen –the _pen_ – back into her hand and brushing past her. 

“No, Nick… Nick!” Judy recovered her brain two seconds too late, as Nick slipped out of the building. Immediately, reporters descended upon her, shouting questions.

“Officer Hopps, were you just threatened by that fox?”

All she wanted was to go after Nick, apologise, and get him to understand what she’d meant. “No, no, he’s my friend,” she answered distractedly, trying to shove her way through the crowd. Being small was so _difficult_ , sometimes! 

“We can’t even trust our own friends?”

 _What?!_ That wasn’t what she’d meant, that wasn’t the message she wanted to send to anyone. She forced herself to focus, to try and fight off these reporters with her words instead of her paws. “That is _not_ what I said.” 

“Are we safe?!” 

“Have any other foxes gone savage?!” 

They were shouting, now, all one on top of the other. There was no rhyme or reason to it, and she couldn’t answer any questions without answering a second the wrong way. She was no good at this. _Nick_ was, though. He should have been at her side, whispering her the answers, telling her how to get through it without making it worse. Instead, she did her best to keep her chin up until Assistant Mayor Bellwether –No, she’d be Mayor Bellwether, now– fought her way through the crowd and led her into another room to collect herself. 

The next few weeks all felt like that. Shouting, shouting, so much shouting. It was a cacophony… And it was all her fault. Nick had been right. She wished so badly that he’d been up there at her side, up there to show that there was a solidarity between predators and prey that needed to stay in place no matter what. Peace rallies went awry so quickly, and there was an irony that she didn’t miss in the fact that it was mostly prey that were disrupting the way things were supposed to be in the safe haven of Zootopia. 

She hadn’t seen Nick in what felt like forever when she walked into work the morning they moved Clawhauser to the basement. It felt like the last straw, the last punch to the gut she could handle. She’d hurt her friends, forced them underground… Some of them, literally. If this was what being a real cop was like, she wanted no part in it. 

* * *

“Hopps–”

“No. I’m not… I’m not a hero. I came here to make the world a better place, but …I think I broke it.” 

Chief Bogo and Mayor Bellwether had asked her to come in for a special assignment, but being told that she was going to be the new face of the ZPD? It was the final push. She just couldn’t do it anymore. 

Bogo didn’t seem to understand, though. He never did. He didn’t take anyone seriously enough until it was too late. “Don’t give yourself so much credit, Hopps. The world has always been broken, that’s why we need good cops. Like you.”

He was patronising her, and if he wasn’t… Well, it sure felt like it. 

“With all due respect, sir, a good cop is supposed to serve and protect, help the city, not tear it apart,” Judy told him, staring down at the desk in front of her. “I don’t deserve this badge,” she finally added, unpinning her officer’s badge from her lapel and slowly setting it down on the table. She couldn’t do it anymore. She’d hurt too many to be considered a ‘good cop.’

“Judy, you’ve worked so hard to get here. It’s what you’ve wanted since you were a kid. You can’t quit.” 

Mayor Bellwether had done so much for her, and the tremour in her voice… It almost made Judy reconsider. She _could_ keep working, keep trying to do what was right… But what was the point, if all she did was fail? Maybe… Maybe it was time to realise that bunnies just shouldn’t… shouldn’t be cops. Maybe there was a reason for it. 

She slid down from her chair, turning her face away so that neither authority figure would see the tears threatening to fall. “Thank you for the opportunity,” she near-whispered, and that was that. 

* * *

Going back to the farm was harder than anything she had ever done before. Judy loved her family, her mother and father and grandparents and siblings, but… It just wasn’t the same as the big city. There was no Nick, no Clawhauser, no Gazelle. No _excitement_. 

Her parents noticed. They always did. They were good people, no matter what their ideologies had been. 

Speaking of their ideologies, she was shocked to discover their newfound partnership with Gideon Grey, who came to try and cheer her up after learning she was back. The darndest thing was that he seemed… so kind, so gentle. He apologised right away for how he’d been as a kid and handed her a pie. A _pie_! How could anyone hold a grudge after that? Certainly not Judy Hopps.

“ I’d just like to say, I’m sorry for the way I behaved in my youth. I had a lot of self-doubt and it manifested itself in the form of unchecked rage and aggression. I was a major jerk.” 

See?! How could anyone stay angry after that! 

Judy smiled sadly, reaching out to accept the pies that he’d brought for her and her family. “I know a thing or two about being a jerk,” she murmured, glancing up at the fox before her. Gosh, she missed Nick. 

“Anyways, I should go. Make sure you stay away from them night howlers,” Gideon stated, and it seemed like a joke, the way he was grinning, but… 

“…What did you just say?” she asked, eyes widening slightly. 

“Night howlers,” he repeated, gesturing to the flowers that surrounded her father’s crops. “Your dad uses ‘em to keep the bugs away. I told ‘im it was a bad idea, on accounta what happened to my uncle’s brother’s cousin when he ate one, but–”

Judy was now listening raptly, the pies in her hand forgotten. “What happened to him?” she asked quickly. Gideon blinked at her for a moment before answering. 

“He went _crazy_ ,” he told her, speaking in a loud whisper, as if it were confidential. Judy’s eyes widened impossibly further. “Got angry and almost… savage, y’know? It was–” 

“Night howlers.” Judy was off on her own tangent, listening now to her own train of thought instead. “The wolves weren’t the night howlers, the night howlers are flowers! They’re flowers that make you savage! Anyone could go savage! It’s not a biological component, it’s–” She cut herself off, shoving the pies back into Gideon’s arms. “Thank you!” she yelled over her shoulder, shedding the apron she’d been wearing and hopping into her father’s truck. She had to get this information to the ZPD… She had to find Nick and apologise. 

* * *

Finding Nick was a lot harder than she’d thought it would be. She checked all the spots she knew he frequented in his pawpsicle ‘business,’ only to find that no one had seen that ‘sly fox’ since the day they’d started working together on the case. In despair, she thought that Mr. Big might know something, anything, about his whereabouts… When she stumbled almost literally into the back of Finnick’s truck. 

She pounded at the back doors, her paws shaking, and waited anxiously for a whole two minutes until they finally slid open. 

“I need to find Nick,” she burst out with immediately, and he only eyed her with distrust. 

“Look, kid, you and I both know that if Nick doesn’t wanna be found, he won’t be found,” he told her at length. 

“Please, it’s an emergency,” Judy told him. “I know why animals have been going savage, and I need his help to stop it. Please, if you know where he is–” 

“He can’t be found,” Finnick interrupted harshly, and Judy looked up at him slowly, truly seeing his expression for the first time. 

She leaned against the side of the car, feeling her legs threaten to give way under her. 

“No… No, no, this can’t… Oh, God, it’s all my fault,” she whispered, covering her face with her other paw. 

Finnick watched her, expression inscrutable, until she forced herself up again. “I’m going to get him back,” she said firmly, stronger than she felt. She looked up at Finnick again. “I need to find Duke Weaselton,” she told him. “Can you help me?” 

* * *

The spread of Duke’s pirated movies was actually rather impressive, to say the least. It didn’t make it any less illegal, but it _was_ impressive. Alone –and wishing desperately that she had Nick by her side– Judy approached the table, watching the weasel go from salesman to criminal in one smooth motion. 

“Well, if it isn’t the bunny copper,” he drawled, arms crossed. “Gonna try and take me again?” 

“We both know those weren’t mouldy onions I caught you stealing. What were you gonna do with those Night Howlers, Weaselton?”

Duke only snorted, waving a paw in the air. “Look, Flopsy, if you ain’t buyin’, I ain’t talkin’. Now kindly skedaddle, rabbit. You’re scarin’ away my business.” 

Judy pouted at him, sarcasm dripping from her voice when she spoke. “Oh, you poor dear… I didn’t want to have to do this, but…” She trailed off and gestured to someone behind him. Before he had time to turn completely, he’d been completely silenced by a large polar bear, who smirked at Judy, obviously pleased. 

“Will you talk, now?” Judy asked, and the bear loosened his grip enough for Duke to speak without choking. 

“Never! Dumb bunny, lemme go!”

Judy only shrugged, ignoring the litany of angry vocalisations coming from the criminal. She was going to do what she had to in order to get Nick back… Including bringing Weaselton to Mr. Big. 

“This is the one I told you about,” Judy said to Big, standing beside his desk, his daughter beside her. 

“Mm… Ice him,” Big ordered boredly, waving a tiny paw towards the polar bear holding Duke. 

“You dirty rat, why are you helping her? She’s a cop!” Weaselton screeched, and Judy had to resist the urge to correct him. She had been a cop. Not anymore. (And if that didn’t hurt her pride, she didn’t know what would.) 

“And the godmother to my future granddaughter,” Big explained, gesturing to his daughter, who smiled blissfully up at Judy. “Now. Ice this weasel.” 

“Alright, alright, please, I’ll talk, I’ll talk!!!” As he was lowered towards the freezing water, Duke’s cowardice won out. “I stole those Night Howlers so I could sell ‘em. They offered me what I couldn’t refuse - money.” 

“And to whom did you sell them?” Judy pressed, all business. 

Weaselton shut his mouth tightly, though he changed his mind again when he felt himself lowered towards the water once more. “Alright, alright!! It was… the mayor.” 

That didn’t make any sense. Judy frowned, trying to logic it out in her head. “Lionheart?” If he’d been faking ignorance when they’d seen him in the facility, then maybe… But it had already put him in jail. How was he continuing the operation? Was there a guard in on this whole mess? Did–

“The other one!” Duke cried out as his feet hit the water. Judy gestured to Big, who raised his paw. 

“Enough,” he decreed, and the polar bear lifted Weaselton up again as he sighed in relief. 

“Bellwether is behind this?” Judy asked, shock colouring her tone. “Why?” 

“She don’t like bein’ a prey,” Weaselton supplied, warming up to his role as the man on the other side. “That’s what I hear, at least. If you tell her it was me, though, I’ll be next. You didn’t hear any of this from me!” 

Judy rolled her eyes. He was such a coward. “Fine, fine.” She looked at Mr. Big. “I need to end this.” 

Big stuck out his hand, and Judy gave him hers, where he very carefully kissed her index finger. “You have my blessing,” he intoned, and Judy smiled at him before rushing from the room. 

“Bye, Judy! Good luck!” Big’s daughter called after her, waving happily. 

* * *

Chief Bogo would know what to do. He would know how to fix this, he would get Bellwether the retribution she deserved. Judy ran through the streets of Zootopia, dodging this way and that, her breathing heavy. Nick would be okay once everyone realised what the cause was. They could fix this. She would fix this. 

She ducked into the museum, which was closed as they put in a new exhibit, as it was a shortcut to get to the station. The doors shut ominously behind her, but she didn’t seem to notice, intent as she was at getting to her destination. And then, suddenly…

“Oh, _Judy_ …” 

The voice seemed to echo around her, and Judy stopped in her tracks, paws immediately going to her pockets for something to use as a weapon. Blueberries? Not so helpful. Trowel? Could be used at close range, she supposed, if she had to…

“Don’t you want to _join_ me, Judy?” the voice asked, and now, she recognised it for what it was. For _who_ it was. “We could be such a great team, you and I. We’re on the same team, Judy. Underestimated, underappreciated… Aren’t you sick of it? Predators - they may be strong and loud, but prey outnumber predators ten-to-one. Think of it - 90% of the population united against a common enemy. It’s perfect! Brilliant! And we could rule it, _together_! Two predators, up where they belong, at the top of the food chain!” 

“I’ll never join you!” Judy yelled, paws clasped into fists. “Never!” 

The mayor stepped out from behind a statue, above her, which explained the echoey effect she’d managed to achieve. “Oh, sweetie… I thought you might say that. It’s so unfortunate, too… I really did like you.” 

Judy reached into her pocket, picked out a blueberry. She threw it at Bellwether, who stepped out of the way, giggling. 

“Oh, that was _cute_ ,” she exclaimed, clapping her hands. “Mm… Well, I’d love to stay and chat, but I do have a world to rule. You know how it is, Judy… I brought someone to keep you company, though!” On cue, the sound of feral snarling filled the air, and Judy tensed automatically, eyes widening. “Don’t be afraid, dearie!!!” A harsh laugh. “They can _smell fear_.” 

Two rams stepped into the light with a cage between them, and Judy was able to catch a glimpse of the figure responsible for the growling. 

“Oh, no…” she breathed out, shaking her head. 

“Oh, yes!” Bellwether exclaimed delightedly, clapping her hands again. “It will be so tragic, too… He was your _friend,_ and he turned on you!! Poor, innocent Judy… The papers will love it. It will seal the deal! Preds will be put away forever, and _I_ will be in charge! Prey will _finally_ be the ones in charge!” 

The rams, both wearing protective gear, seemed to have their parts down to a tee. One of them slid the door of the cage open while the other poked the angry ball of red fur with a metal stick. 

Nick shot out of the cage, and… Oh, _no_. He was wearing a muzzle. There was a muzzle around his snout, and it looked painful, and Judy couldn’t even imagine… If he could see himself, could see what Judy had done to him… After this was over, if he never wanted to be her friend, or to even see her again, she would understand. She would do what she could to save him, and then… He could be his own fox again. He deserved that much. 

“Oh, Nick, I’m so sorry,” she whispered, voice broken, and the fox paused in his anger for a moment, staring at her with eyes that hardly reflected the snarky, sweet fox she’d grown so fond of in only forty-eight hours. “Nick…”

“Well! Enjoy your reunion!” Bellwether chimed happily, waving down at Judy. “The police –your old friends, right?– will be here in ten minutes. You’ll be dead, of course… But they’ll be able to take care of your friend. Ta ta!” 

She faded into the shadows, and Judy didn’t know whether or not she’d actually gone or not. Really, she didn’t care. All she cared about was Nick, standing in front of her on all fours, slowly advancing on her. 

“Nick, it’s me, please… Please, I know you were mad, but it isn’t your fault. This isn’t you, Nick, please, please, listen to me…” As she begged, tears falling freely down her cheeks now, she backed away slowly, scared despite herself of the blank look in Nick’s eyes. She found herself against a wall all too soon, with Nick advancing on her at the same pace, and wondered if this was actually the retribution she deserved. She had done horrible, awful things, and now… Now she would pay for them. 

A sob escaped her lips, followed by a second, and then a third, and then she was crying, one paw against the wall to try and hold herself upright. It was over. She was done, Nick was done… Everything was done. 

She could hear the rams laughing over her crying, laughing at her, at the dumb bunny who’d thought she could be more than just a carrot farmer, who became friends with a fox only to be eaten by one. 

Muffled snarling filled the air, then, and Judy flinched, eyes shut tightly, waiting for the death blow… that never came. 

Slowly, she opened her eyes again, [only to find Nick’s back to her, his fur standing up](http://67.media.tumblr.com/b647b414afcc1d4595caad084e3c2f77/tumblr_inline_o84tf4lPC91td6wq0_500.jpg), his anger directed not at her, but at the two rams on the other side of the room. 

“…Nick?” she tried slowly, sniffling, wiping her nose on her sleeve. “Nick, can you… Can you understand me?” 

She got no reaction from him, though the rams had stopped laughing at her. In fact, they were silent, and slowly, Nick seemed to calm down, though he didn’t move from his position in front of her. It seemed… It seemed almost as though he was protecting her? 

“Nick… I know that you… you probably hate me, and you have every right to, but… You were right. You were so right and I was so wrong. I was… I was ignorant and… and hateful, and small-minded. But you’re my friend, Nick. You’re my friend and I never should have doubted you, not for a second. And… I’m sorry, Nick. I’m so, so sorry.” 

For a long minute, nothing happened. The rams were silent and Nick was silent and Judy fell silent, unable to tell if anything she’d said had actually been heard or understood. 

And then… Nick slowly turned around, facing Judy, and took a tentative step towards her. He didn’t look angry, though. And… he wasn’t growling, or snarling. He seemed nervous, like any sudden movement would startle him… But he wasn’t angry. 

“Nick… You can hear me, but you can’t understand me, is that… is that right?” 

Without indication whether or not she was correct, Nick took another step towards her and then slowly, very slowly, lowered himself so that he was lying on the floor in front of her. 

“I… I want to help you, Nick. I want to make you you again. Because this… this isn’t you.” 

Nick made a soft whining sound, and Judy’s heart _ached_ because of it. “I’m going… I’m going to touch you, now,” she stated, slowly lowering herself to her knees. Nick tensed, but he didn’t back away or make any move to hurt her. 

Carefully, cautiously, Judy reached her paw out, and while Nick didn’t look too excited, he didn’t try to hurt her. In fact, he didn’t move at all. And as Judy settled her paw against his shoulder… He whimpered again, a different sort of sound. This one was a different pitch, still feral, but… [Happier](http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DlO_KOB-gUps&t=YzI3MzIwZjBmNmIxNmNmOTU1YWY1NTJiYjhmMzJkNDFmN2UwYWFhMixSUGw5R1hldQ%3D%3D&b=t%3Ahe3gORgMGQ-W0MXgkgmlyQ&m=1). 

“Nick…” she whispered, trailing off, and he laid his head down on his front paws, an obvious sign that he wasn’t upset by the proceedings. She reached for the muzzle slowly, though she needn’t have been so concerned. Now that the first contact had been established, it seemed very obvious that Nick was comfortable. His eyes closed as she gently worked at the muzzle, and when she finally pulled it off, he blinked up at her and then licked her paw once, as though in thanks. 

A small smile slowly worked its way onto her face, still wet with tears. “Oh, Nick… I know you can’t understand me, but… I’m going to get us out of this.” 

In response, Nick butted his head under her paw and then rolled over onto his back, making that happy whining sound again as she giggled against her will and pet him. 

A few minutes later, the sound of sirens outside startled both Nick and Judy, the former of which bolted upright and growled menacingly at the door. However calm the fox was for her, Judy had a feeling that it wouldn’t extend to anyone on the force, first and foremost Chief Bogo. 

She placed her paw on Nick’s head, and he shuffled a little closer to her as the door burst open, Bogo in front of the rest of the officers, his gun pointed directly at them. Nick bristled, but he seemed to sense Judy’s lack of trepidation and stayed put. 

“Judy!” The relief in Bogo’s voice was tangible. “What the hell is going on?!” 

“It was Bellwether,” Judy called back across the room. When Bogo made to step forward, Nick growled and mimicked the movement. 

Judy’s eyes widened. “No!” she yelled, and Bogo froze. “Don’t move. I figured out what’s been making predators go savage. Bellwether’s been behind it all along. She used _Midnicampum holicithias –_ street name: Night Howlers– to mimic going savage. And she got Nick. He hasn’t hurt me, though! He’s trying to protect me. I don’t know why, but I do know that he’s going to attack you if you get too close. Someone needs to go after Bellwether and make sure that she doesn’t get away with any more of this.” Nick suddenly bolted, and Judy cried out, though he didn’t go the way she’d expected. Instead of heading at Bogo, he ran in the opposite direction, jumping at the rams, who’d seemingly decided to make a break for it.

“Those two are working with her!” Judy yelled at Bogo. “Nick! Nick, come back! If you hurt them, it won’t do anything!” 

At the sound of Judy’s voice, Nick paused, though he didn’t get off of the rams he’d managed to tackle. Bogo made to approach them, and Judy called him off again. 

“He’s not responding to anyone except me!” she reasoned, and Bogo stopped again, a hand up to stop anyone else from darting past him. 

“Nick, come on. Come here,” Judy coaxed gently, making her way towards him slowly, a hand outstretched. “Come on, Nick…” 

Nick hopped down from the pile of rams and padded over to Judy, who gently scratched behind his ears and elicited another happy sound from him. She led him back over to the other side of the room, and then looked over at Bogo, a silent okay to go and get them. 

“Everything’s just fine, Nick,” she murmured to the fox, sitting down beside him again, letting him rest his head in her lap. “It’s going to be okay.” 

Soon enough, the rams had been dealt with, and Judy coaxed Nick into the back of an ambulance with her. He rested his head on her lap again as they drove, and she scratched behind his ears as he nuzzled into her paw. Maybe… Maybe savage hadn’t been the right word for what happened with the night howlers. Maybe… primitive? Because it wasn’t like Nick was attacking everything in sight. He still had a brain. He just wasn’t as advanced as their society had become. As he snuggled against her side, though, she wondered if maybe they should research the night howlers more. It could never hurt to know as much as they could about things that had the potential to do this much damage to so many innocent lives. 

* * *

It took less than a week for Zootopia’s best scientists to extract the serum that Bellwether had been using and reverse the effects on all of the predators that had been used in her scheme. They were all treated at the same time, though none of them seemed able to go back to themselves just yet. It was only a matter of time, but still. Judy missed Nick. 

The mayor herself was arrested on several accounts, claiming innocence all the while. Judy doubted that anyone would judge anyone else by their covers now, though, after all that they had been through together as a city. No one could use the “I’m only a small, helpless prey” excuse anymore. It had been proven fallible. No one was small or helpless. Everyone, right down to the littlest mouse, was able to write their own story. 

Emmet Otterton awoke on the same day that Nick was supposed to. Judy was walking through the halls of the hospital when she caught sight of the two locked in an embrace, and when his wife caught her eye and mouthed a heartfelt thank you at her. She only smiled and left the two together, anxious to check on Nick. 

Upon walking into the room, she found… nothing. The bed was made, the drapes were shut, and there were balloons gently bobbing together in the corner. Balloons that she had gotten for Nick! She turned abruptly to go and figure out what had happened, only to find the door shut… And a beaming Nick Wilde looking down at her. 

“Nick!!” Judy yelped, jumping at him excitedly. “Oh, Nick, _Nick_ …” 

Nick seemed uncertain how to respond, but after a moment, he wrapped his arms back around her, patting her on the back. 

“Hey there, Carrots.” 

“Oh, Nick, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry…” Judy felt her eyes well up, and then felt Nick’s body shake gently as he laughed and set her down. Neither removed themselves from the hug, though. 

“You saved me, Carrots. I could hear you.” 

Judy sniffled. “You… You could?” 

Nick nodded. “I couldn’t respond… It was like, my brain wasn’t mine anymore. But I heard everything. And I forgive you.” 

Judy let out a half-sob, half-laugh, and Nick patted her head gently. “Oh, you bunnies. So emotional.”

Someday, Judy would ask him about the muzzle, about how it happened, about how Bellwether managed to catch him with the serum. But for the moment… For the moment, she was content. She had managed to make Zootopia safe again, for everyone, predators and prey alike. And saving Nick… Saving Nick was a pretty good outcome, too.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!! Leave a kudos if you liked it, and a comment if you reeeeaaallly liked it? I need them to surviveeeee.


End file.
